Diarmuid Wilson (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I second Senator Barrett's amendment to the Order of Business.

I join the leader of my party in calling on the Minister for Justice and Equality, Deputy Alan Shatter, to come to the House. I ask the Deputy Leader to set aside quite a few hours for a debate as there are many issues to be discussed. Those issues include: the low morale in the Garda Síochána; the depletion in the numbers of the force, with no recruitment on the cards; the inability of members to do their job due to a lack of equipment, in many cases they use their own cars and mobile telephones to do a job which should be facilitated by the State; the closure of Garda stations, courthouses and Army barracks; the debacle with the Judiciary; and, in particular, why Dún Uí Neill barracks in Cavan, was closed in March without any logical reason being given for doing so. It was the most modern barracks in Europe and the only purpose-built barracks in the history of the State, located seven miles from the Fermanagh Border, where there has been three incidents involving dissident terrorists in the past month. I pointed out on many occasions, as other colleagues did, that the terrorist threat to the State is not gone. This has been proven seven miles from Cavan town, the location of Dún Uí Neill barracks, where three incidents have taken place in the past month.

That the G8 summit is to be held in Enniskillen in June 2013 is welcome. What will the Government do to protect the Border? From where will the troops come? They will come from Athlone, where they were moved from Cavan, for a month and will have to be facilitated in private accommodation. I predict that a barracks will again have to be built in Cavan town to protect the State from the threat that exists. I ask that the Minister for Justice and Equality come to the House and to be open and honest, not shrouded in a straitjacket of pomposity, and to tell Members exactly what is going on in the Garda Síochána and the Defence Forces, of which he has made a total shambles to date.